Samer at his PhD defense

 Sara with her father at her Maseters’ defense

 Yara at her Master’s defense

 Salam at her Master’s defense

 Hazem at his PhD Defense

 Waleed at his Master’s defense

 Ibraheem at his Master’s defense

 Mohammad at his his Master’s defense

Amer ‘s defense thesis

Rasha at her Master’s defense

Since the beginning of the pandemic in March of this year, the Global Platform for Syrian Students (GP4SYS) has been adapting to the new times in which we are living. One of the first measures taken as from March 24 was to launch online Portuguese courses to keep our students active and reinforce the sense of learning as a social process. Despite all uncertainties, we continued to work on the many projects we have in the pipeline or planned for the current and upcoming years. Progress is perhaps slower, but we do not give up or lay down our arms, as we are sure to be on the right track and also because we firmly believe that new opportunities always emerge from the challenges we face. Below are some highlights on ongoing activities.

On behalf of GP4SYS, I renew our sincere thanks to all partners, public and private, to higher education institutions, foundations, companies and individuals who have made possible the progress achieved. As I have always said, times of crisis make the need to invest in education even more tangible and urgent, in order to increase resilience and overcome challenges looking toward the future. Let us make no mistake: with globalization, a crisis anywhere quickly becomes a crisis everywhere. Boosting higher education in emergencies is critical at a time when crises are emerging or becoming intractable, notably around Europe and its its close neighborhood. We must therefore always do more, better and faster…

Jorge Sampaio